Monday, Oct 12th Update

The few weeks leading up to our trip was really emotional for me. I was anxious, nervous and really excited. I kept panicking wondering how I would do. I was afraid that I would be an emotional wreck the whole entire trip. However, Sunday morning when we woke up I felt a great sense of peace. I felt calm and happy to be going on my trip. During the whole flight I was never nervous or scared. I got emotional at times thinking about seeing everyone. I was just really excited to be returning home after all these years.

We arrived in Bucharest, Romania on Monday afternoon around 5pm. We took 4 pieces of luggage full of tons of donations with us that we checked on. We packed our clothes in our carry-on bags so that we would have enough room to bring everything with us. I was worried about the luggage but it arrived in Romania with no problems. After we got our luggage we walked outside the airport and were greeted by my cousin Larisa and her boyfriend/fiancé Marius. Larisa and I have talked on IM many times over the past year and a half. It was special to finally meet her face to face. They were so kind to make the drive from Suceava all the way to Bucharest to pick us up. Marius had to work the next day so we had to leave right away and make the 6+ hour drive back up to Suceava. Kalan and I were so exhausted after flying for so long. We started our journey early Sunday morning and we had been traveling for a long time. Thankfully we were able to fit all of the luggage into Marius’s car. Both Larisa and Marius speak English and that was a relief. We chatted as we drove. Kalan and I kept falling asleep a lot. We finally arrived in Suceava to meet my aunt Albina. By this time it was well past midnight when we arrived. Albina greeted us in the parking lot of her apartment. There she was standing holding a bouquet of red carnations for me. I walked up to greet her. We hugged and cried as we held each other. I was happy to finally reunite with her. I know that she remembers me but I only have one vague memory of her. She kept hugging me and crying. She said she promised my mother she would take care of me, and she said that she was sorry I left for America. I started crying as she was telling me this. I felt so sad that she felt the need to ask my forgiveness. There is nothing to forgive. Everything happens for a reason. I don’t ever want her to feel sad about the fact that I left Romania. She was so excited to see us. We couldn’t stay at her house because the room we were staying in was being painted. She had us stay at a neighbor’s apartment in a different building close by. Her daughter-in-law, Vica and grandson, Razvan both greeted me with white lilies. They wouldn’t let us carry any of our luggage ourselves. They hauled it up 5 flights of stairs. Albina was so stubborn and was determined to carry one of the huge duffle bags herself. Vica and her got it upstairs by themselves. When we got into the apartment, we saw that they had set the table for us with candles. There was a variety of meats and cheeses. They were so sweet and had set out some of their best foods to welcome us. They were celebrating our arrival. Marius and Larisa left to go home. By this time, it was past 1am. We were so tired but we sat down and ate the food. Vica went to her apartment and brought hot soup for us. It was really good and filling. They kept watching us as we ate. None of them would eat with us. They just wanted to feed us. Vica went home but Albina and Razvan stayed and slept in the apartment with us. Albina is so sweet. She hugs and kisses me every time she walks by me.